The Maze Runner--The Beginning of the Glade
by The Ghost of Ashes
Summary: This is Alby's story, of the original gladers. They had questions, like Thomas, but they had to answer and work things out by themselves. Enjoy the story and feel free to write reviews!
1. Chapter 1: The Box

The Maze Runner—The Beginning of the Glade

Author's note: I'm not James Dashner. I do not own the Maze Runner trilogy. This is just how the Glade began, with the original Gladers, with Alby as the main character. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The speck of light above him was so faint, he had to blink several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He was standing on some sort of platform, and it was rising—not too steadily—upwards towards the light. The darkness had been suffocating, and the pinprick of light in the darkness comforted him somewhat, but not much.

He wondered what was up there. Guards? Great slavering-jawed monsters? You couldn't tell, at least not yet.

My name is Alby, he thought, then paused. Something was off. His name was he only thing he could remember. But that was impossible...Desperately, Alby tried to recall his past life, his parents, friends, his home. But it was as if someone had thrown a switch, and he no longer had any memory except for his name. Sure, he remembered things in his life, objects, places, but nothing about his life, nothing that could suggest to him who he was. Was it amnesia? A memory wipe? Or what? All that was left was blank white nothing, or in his case, blank _dark_ nothing.

'Somebody! Help me!' He screamed up into the shaft. The light was becoming closer, the sound of metal against metal grinding in his ears. The platform on which he was standing on lurched violently to a stop. Alby was thrown off his feet, and he landed heavily on the platform floor. He heard voices, in the distance, where the light was.

'C'mon Franz! Put your back into it! That newbies' gonna wet himself if we don't get him up here fast!'

'Poor shank. Hurry up.'

'Okay okay, slim it guys.' Came a new voice, sounding authoritative. The leader, Alby thought. The voice spoke again, this time to Alby, 'What's your name greenie?' 'I'm Alby. Where am I? Where is this? How did I get here?' Panic surged in his stomach and he could hear a definite sound of desperation in his voice.

The guy up top laughed, but there was nothing humorous about it. 'Listen, greenie, I only know half the answers myself. But it seems obvious to me that you're coming from the Box.' Snickers came. Alby was fed up. 'Look, I don't think this is funny. And I doubt you would if you were in my place. Who are you? And what the heck is '_greenie_'?'

The laughs subsided and another voice could be heard: 'I'm Joe. Answers later kid. Now, just shut your hole and grab the rope. We'll pull you up.'

Alby felt around, finding the rope a few inches in front of his nose. He grabbed it, and was jerked suddenly upwards. The light came closer, and finally breaking over his head. Four or five kids stood in front of him, all boys, two of them hoisting him up. The leader, whose voice he recognized, smiled ruefully as he dropped the rope:

'Welcome to nowhere, green-bean. For the time being, we'll call it the Glade.'


	2. Chapter 2: The Glade

The Maze Runner—The Beginning of the Glade

Author's note: I'm not James Dashner. I do not own the Maze Runner trilogy. This is just how the Glade began, with the original Gladers, with Alby as the main character. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

The place was huge. Alby was standing in a vast courtyard, a meadow of some kind, stretching a few miles long and twice as wide. Surrounded by four giant grey walls covered in ivy, it looked almost like a prison. Alby shivered. What had the guy called this place again? _The Glade_, he recalled. Well, at least he knew where he was. '_The Glade_' was a good deal better than '_don't know_' or '_nowhere_' or '_whatever_'.

The four boys gathered in a small semi-circle in front of him, with expressions ranging from curious to downright ballistic. Alby noticed a dark guy glaring at him, fists clenching and unclenching. The guy who had spoken to him first, hesitated, then stepped up to shake his hand: 'I'm Robert. But you can call me Rob for short. Happy to see you, a newbie comes every day and hell—nobody knows where we are and what we're doin' here.' He grinned, flashing white teeth, dark hair falling into his eyes. Alby liked the guy's easygoing attitude. 'Okay, then I guess we'd better figure it out huh? Whoever sent us here must have done it for a reason.'Looking around at the others, he felt rather intimated. And rather foolish. 'Er...is there a way out or something?'

A dark skinned boy, the one Alby had previously noted with the angry expression, snarled. All of a sudden, Alby was being lifted up by the scruff of the neck, the boy right in his face. 'You think it's so easy, you shuck-faced piece of klunk? You think we must be stupid, not doin' anything and milling around like shuck lambs looking for grass? We looked and there was _no escape_. Just quit your yapping will ya?' Somebody managed to wrench the guy off Alby, leaving him in shock. Who were these people, and what did the boy mean, no escape?

'Whoa, slim it Joe,' A short kid was saying, 'Slim it nice and calm. You can't blame the green-bean; he like, just got here.' Then to Alby, 'Hey shank, don't klunk your pants, at least not yet. Joe won't hurt you. Name's Franz, by the way. But Joey's right, there ain't no getting out of here.'

'Are you the only ones here?' Alby asked, desperate for answers. Rob grimaced and nodded his head. 'Supplies come from the box every day, so at least we won't starve. Man, I'm telling you, openings in the walls, secret tunnels and passages...We looked for them all but there was nothing. There used to be another kid, and he tried climbing over the walls.' 'What happened?' Alby was curious. 'When he reached the top, something whizzed through the air—Pshhhht, like that—and he was sliced. In half. He's dead now.'

Rob's eyes widened as the blood left Alby's face. 'Okay, wrong move, I shouldn't have said that.'

Alby was feeling dizzy. It seemed the whole world was tipping over like on a rollercoaster. For moment he was intrigued by the way the memory block worked—he could remember things in life, like rollercoasters, but he didn't know what a specific one looked like, or where he had taken one before. It was interesting...in a sick way.

Arms moved to steady him. 'What's the point?' He finally gasped, 'For people to send us here to die?' An uneasy silence fell over all of them, but finally Franz spoke: 'Greenie, I know it's bad. But looking at you, I know that's not what they want.'

'What do you mean?'

'Look at you, kid. Look at your damned shirt.'

Alby scrabbled down. Emblazoned on his shirt, in capital letters, were six words, fashioned like a quote.

_Get out. Or die. —The Creators_


	3. Chapter 3: The Words

The Maze Runner—The Beginning of The Glade C3

Author's note: I'm not James Dashner. I do not own the Maze Runner trilogy. This is just how the Glade began, with the original Gladers, with Alby as the main character. Thank you so much Celaire, for your undying support. Newt will be out in Chapter 5. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 3

Alby stared. For minute he totally forgot how to speak English. Finally he managed to find he tongue again. 'Wait...You mean I've been having an insane logo on my shirt...and no one thought to tell me?' 'Hell, yeah, we thought you knew about it. The experiment and all. That's why Joey-boy hates your guts.' Franz was incredulous.

'What experiment?' But the others just shrugged and wouldn't answer him. Alby was fed up. Nobody was answering his questions and he figured that being a walking billboard for the Creators—whoever that was—was not his favourite past time. 'Have you got extra shirts or something?' He changed the subject. Getting the affirmative, he tore of his shirt and continued to rip it to shreds. It gave him satisfaction to see the fabric come loose easily in his hands. Just as he was turning to throw it as far as he could, a glint of silver caught his eye. 'What's that?' On the wall, behind the ivy, there seemed to be letters of some sort.

Joe rolled his eyes and was just about to reply when the kid who had been silent all that time snorted. Alby turned to look at him. 'All your stupid questions...'The guy's voice was low and mumbling, almost raw, the words streaming out of his mouth so fast Alby had to concentrate to catch them, 'Questions questions questions...We're going to die, we're going to die. There's no use, no, no use...we can't get out and you don't even know!' Insane laugher came from the boy's lips. He was shaking uncontrollably now: 'We're going to die we're going to die we're going to die! No way out!' He laughed again, sounding almost inhuman. And then he ran, across the meadow and into a forest, his mad laughter and rantings still heard in the distance.

Joe cleared his throat: 'Sorry about that. Er, the guy who was sliced? He and Dez were best buddies, like that. We all expected them to get married or something. But then Finn hit the bucket and well...Dez hasn't been the same since. Couldn't cope. He's gone crazy now, screaming, laughing and crying. Can't blame the kid. Sometimes he's okay, showing up for dinner, acting normal...other times, well...' He tapped his temples and pulled a face.

'But anyway, the walls. Yeah dude, pretty clever of you to see them, we're all a bunch of blind losers.' He rolls his eyes. 'C'mon and take a closer look.'

Alby made his way across the meadow, almost tripping over stray bits of wood buried in the grass. Finally the walls loomed above him. The were made of cement, tall and towering, without a crack in sight. No wonder, Alby thought. As if these things could move. Pulling away a curtain of ivy, the words were clearly visible.

WORLD IN CATASTROPHE: KILLSONE EXPERIMENT DEPARTMENT.


	4. Chapter 4: The First Night

The Maze Runner—The Beginning of The Glade C4

Author's note: I'm not James Dashner. I do not own the Maze Runner trilogy. This is just how the Glade began, with the original Gladers, with Alby as the main character. Thank you again Celaire, for your undying support. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 4

That evening, around a small campfire Franz had constructed out of tree bark and Alby's ripped shirt, Alby still couldn't get the words out of his mind. World in catastrophe. That didn't sound good. Actually, neither did 'Killzone' or 'Experiment'. Nothing in this Glade-thing did. Dez had showed up at dinner, seemingly to have calmed down again, eating his meal in silence and flashing dirty looks at Alby.

'Rob,' Alby twisted his sausage over the fire uncomfortably, 'Why do you think they put us here? You know what the wall said. World in catastrophe. Do you think it's so bad out there that the Creators put us here to protect us? Perhaps we're special someway, or the human race is dying out or something and we were put here to survive it all?' 'Dude, you don't know how idiotic and self-centred you sound.' Rob munched his sausage, 'Coz the thing is, _shank_, we're the experiment. We're the poor little white mice running in cages, with scientists gawking at us through spectacles. Nah, you may have a point, but I don't think we're going to be protected in any way.' Finishing his food, he continued to pick his teeth with his fingernails. Alby sighed. 'So how long have you guys been here?' 'Few days ago, I guess. I was the first.' Rob's face darkened, shadows hiding his face. 'I was so scared that first night. Not crying wetting oneself scared but real scared. You know, like in the book that won some prize or something. Lord of The Flies. I was afraid something would get me in the night. Came as a relief when Joe—' he gave his friend a punch on the elbow—'started shouting at me from the Box to bust him out.'

A sudden thought struck Alby. 'Then how did you get here? I mean, the rest of us were pulled up from the Box. But you were alone right?'

A minute passed. Then Rob replied coldly: 'I woke up here. Six days ago. I didn't have a clue what was happening.' He rose from his sitting position, and walked away.

Franz tossed more sticks into the fire. 'Hey kid, don't pressure Rob, he's got a hard time trying to keep it together. We all do. It's no use being suspicious. We're here now so we have to stick together.' Joe yawned. 'Yeah, Mister-pep-talker. Greenie, go get some sleep. You'll have a long day tomorrow.' He grinned wickedly. 'What?' Alby asked. 'Introducing the newest-newbie to the Glade. Hopefully he won't be as curious as you.' Joe stretched out on the grass, rolled over and promptly went to sleep. Franz followed suit. Dez shot Alby a final look before retreating off into the woods.

Alby lay beside the fire, his insides churning. Later, he reflected that that night had been the best night of his life in the Glade, with nothing major to worry about. Everything would change in the morning. But he didn't know that. He closed his eyes and drifted into oblivion.

When Alby woke up, he got the shock of his life.

Above him inches away, was an upside-down face. It was leering at him .


	5. Chapter 5: The Walls

The Maze Runner—The Beginning of The Glade C5

Author's note: I'm not James Dashner. I do not own the Maze Runner trilogy. This is just how the Glade began, with the original Gladers, with Alby as the main character. Thank you again Celaire, for your undying support. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 5

A cold hand clamped against his mouth. Alby struggled, adrenaline surging in his body. He lashed out with his fists, and heard the satisfying clunk as he hit home. His attacker reeled backward, releasing Alby from his grip, collapsing to the ground and moaning softly. Alby reached for a piece of jagged rock next to his head, finally making it to a standing position. When he finally realized who it was, his eyes widened in shock.

It was Dez.

He had a broken jaw, his eyes glazed. 'Dez? What the hell were you doing? You scared me.' Alby dropped his voice to a low whisper, as not to wake Joe and Franz. The kid disturbed him.

'It's changing...' Dez crawled slowly towards him, his voice hoarse and scratchy like sandpaper. 'Everything...everything is gonna change...greenie...you're gonna die...with the rest of us...' he giggled, sending shiver shooting up Alby's spine. 'Better we die...unknowing...The maze...It's gonna change...'

'What's going to change?' Fear paralyzed Alby. 'Dammit Dez! Answer me?'

Alby would never forget that moment. A rumbling so loud sounded, all around them, trapping them. It was like thunder, booming and crashing. If it were not for the sun in the east, Alby would have mistaken it for just that.

'They're coming!' Dez screamed, fear igniting in his glazed eyes. Flem flicked out of his mouth. He look like a wild animal, anything human about him gone. 'They? Who're they?' Alby yelled to be heard over the noise.

Cracks had appeared on the four walls surrounding Alby. No, not cracks. Openings.

Dez turned to look at him, his voice suddenly quiet. 'The Grievers.'

Then he shrieked into the clearing: 'The Grievers! They'll come and getcha all!' With that he was off and running, towards the opening, disappearing through.

Next to Alby, Franz and Joe were already awake, screaming to be heard over the din. Rob came charging through the forest, his eyes wide. 'What's happening?' Franz yelled. But Alby already knew the answer.

'The walls you shuck-idiot!' Rob snarled, 'They're moving! That's the way out!'

As if that wasn't enough, an alarm started blaring over the noise of the walls. 'Oh crap! I forgot the greenie!' Rob yelled. 'Joe, you and what's-his-name go get him! Me and Franz'll check it out!'

Then Alby remembered what Dez had said before charging off. 'Rob!' Alby shouted. 'Dez is out there! He said something about it being a maze. And abut something called the Grievers! You sure it's wise to get out there?'

Then as suddenly as it had started, the walls stopped moving. The alarm shut off, leaving a blaring nothing in their ears. All was silence.

'We'll just take a look.' Rob said quietly. 'We'll be back soon. As soon as possible.' With that he took off, Franz at his heels.

'Leaves us to check out the newbie.' Joe grumbled. They made their way to the box, and Joe lowered a rope.

'Joe,' Alby said slowly, an idea forming in his mind. 'Have you ever tried going down the box?' Joe frowned, deep in thought. Then he grinned. 'Good thinking greenie—Alby. No. But we can try that. As soon as the newest greenie gets up.'

They pulled up the rope. Hanging on for dear life was a boy slightly younger than Alby, with shaggy blonde hair. He looked disorientated and scared, although he was trying to hide that.

'Nice to meet ya shank.' Alby grimaced. 'I'm Alby. What's your name?'

'I'm Newt.' The kid mumbled. 'Where am I?'

Did he look like this yesterday? Alby wondered.

In reply, he said: 'This is the Glade.'


End file.
